This major landing page provides a number of web articles/pages to provide a comprehensive survey of the history of cinema (motion pictures, film, etc.) by decade - the greatest entertainment art form of the 20th century. Each of the individual decade sections provides a multi-part written history of the decade, and links to the milestones of each year, the greatest films of the decade, the top 10 box-office hits of the decade (and by year), the history of sex in cinema for the decade, movie title screens (for films in the decade), Academy Award winners (ahd history) for each year in the decade, great film quotes in the decade, great last lines of some of the decade's films, the greatest movie props for the decade, the most influential films in the decade, and a link to its greatest box office flops.

Herein is a detailed timeline of the key film milestones, important turning points, and significant historical dates or events (organized by decade and year) that have had a significant influence on the world body of cinema and shaped its development.

These are the greatest or best films of each year, sometimes called the 'essential' films, the 'must-see' films 'before you die', the all-time best films, the 'A-list' films, or the top films, including a strong mix of foreign-language films - although not all award-winning or notable films could be listed or described. There is also a sampling of some independent and cult films.

The top 100 rankings of both US (Domestic) and Worldwide Box-Office blockbusters have been compiled from various recent sources.

This listing provides the top 100 US Domestic rankings (adjusted for inflation) (with a short summary description of each film), to fairly accurately show which films have been the largest blockbusters over a long period of time.

Box-office earnings have often been a great predictor of the feature-length films that have been the most favorite, successful, and popular. However, they do not necessarily reflect the best (or greatest) films of the year or decade. They also provide a window into the era when the film was originally released. Rankings of the top US feature-length films by decade (based on unadjusted domestic gross revenue) are presented, along with rankings of the top films by year. Exact dollar grosses for films at the box-office, especially for the first few decades, are often contradictory, spotty, unreliable and sometimes non-existent.

This listing provides the top 25 Summer Blockbusters, according to their total US domestic gross revenue rankings (it doesn't include revenue from re-releases, re-issues, or 3-D), to fairly accurately show which films have been the largest blockbusters during the summer months.

This comprehensive listing provides the all-time greatest box-office bombs, disasters and flops (arranged chronologically, by film title). Films have the potential to skyrocket the profits of a studio, or to send it into ruins and bankruptcy. Films that cost more to make than they acquire in revenue (both domestic and worldwide) are considered box-office catastrophes or bombs.

This section of Filmsite provides a brief historical overview of the early days of cinema, including the Pre-Code Era, and the development of the Production Code, followed by a lessening of restrictions and censorship. Then, the site transitions into a detailed Year-by-Year Survey of the greatest and most influential sexual films and scenes (Illustrated) throughout all of film history, with an Extensive Guide to the pages (organized by decade and by theme).

An illustrated list provides a solid collection of over 100 of the "Most Controversial Films" in cinematic history (in chronological order by film title). Each film is thoroughly described (and illustrated) and provides information about the controversy.

Even the effect of viewing a film is a perfect example of a visual or special effect. The human eye interprets each individual frame of a movie as smooth, flowing action when projected. All of the major historical milestones in the development of the special art of F/X, are presented in this extensive illustrated history, organized chronoligically. Cel animation, scale modeling, claymation, digital compositing, animatronics, use of prosthetic makeup, morphing, and modern computer-generated or computer graphics imagery (CGI) are just some of the more modern techniques that are widely used for creating incredible special or visual effects.

A film franchise is now used as a term to designate a major film series that has established itself as an ongoing film series, and is a potential merchandising cash cow product (with the potential for more sequels). This extensive and remarkable multi-part section (arranged alphabetically by film franchise title) provides all of the major film franchises and their movie title screens throughout history.

The greatest movie props evoke a sense of nostalgia and cultural relevance, and a well-selected, recognizable and iconic prop can serve as a symbol for the entire plot of a film. This section provides illustrated examples of hundreds of the greatest and most iconic movie props in film history (ordered chronologically based upon the film). The word "prop" is shorthand for "property" - referring to things, items, or objects on the set that are part of the design and production of a film.

The James Bond series of films is the longest continuing series of English language films. The modern day action-hero - the James Bond '007' character that was employed for Her Majesty's Secret Service - was loosely based on the character in Britisher Ian Fleming's twelve James Bond novels. A number of Fleming's short stories were developed by other writers. Title screens for the Bond films and links to detailed descriptions for each of the film titles by each of the main Bond actors are available. See also James Bond Films - Summary and Ranked James Bond Films, as well as a section on the memorable Bond Girls.

A wide range of Christmas seasonal movies are described, to offer a quick look at what might be great viewing choices - some are well-known titles and some are forgotten and less heralded. The classic Christmas movies span the years from the 1930s to the 1970s, while the modern-day Christmas movies are from the 1980s to the recent decade.